Residents urge Los Ranchos trustees to act on encampments, alleged squatting at Elwood properties

At the June 16 meeting of the Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque Board of Trustees, several residents pressed the village to address a growing problem of unhoused encampments along the Second Street bike‑pedestrian path and alleged squatting at a house on Elwood Street NW. Rosemary Gagos Chavez, who said she has lived in the Greenwood neighborhood for 48 years, described repeated visits and a rise in tents, trash accumulation and apparent unlawful entries at 6602 Elwood Street NW and nearby properties.

“Neighbors are reporting issues with trash accumulation, sanitation issues… and fire hazards,” Rosemary Gagos Chavez said, asking the board to coordinate a response and send a plan of action to Greenwood residents. She said at least 15 neighbors are supporting the request and that she has submitted materials to the village, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

Mayor Lawrence Ryel thanked speakers and said staff would work with public safety partners to examine the issues raised. Several later public commenters echoed Chavez’s concerns. Joe Sloan, who said he has lived at 6660 Edgewood Drive NW since 1987, linked increased traffic around a nearby housing development with growth in sidewalk and encampment activity and urged the village to intervene on both the unhoused and squatting problems.

Residents and trustees discussed specific properties repeatedly named during public comment, including the corner lot at Osuna and Elwood and an occupied house at 6602 Elwood. Julie Gerwa, a 31‑year resident, said a cluster of formerly single‑family homes has shifted to multiple occupancy with poor upkeep and safety concerns for neighbors.

Trustees and staff did not announce enforcement actions at the meeting. Village staff (including planning and code enforcement representatives) acknowledged limits to current administrative remedies and the complexity of cross‑jurisdictional responses where county and village boundaries meet. Trustee Edward urged pursuit of legislative change so the village would have more effective civil enforcement tools rather than relying solely on criminal municipal court remedies.

Trustees asked staff to follow up with the county and public safety partners. Mayor Ryel said he would raise the matter with the county manager and county commissioner, and staff indicated they would return with updates and pursue options ranging from targeted code enforcement to combined law‑enforcement engagement. The board did not take a formal vote on any enforcement measure during the meeting.

What’s next: Staff committed to working with Bernalillo County public safety and code enforcement on next steps; residents were told to expect follow‑up from village staff.